Nicholas Walters-Miguel Marriaga, Felix Verdejo-Ivan Najera set for June 13 on HBO
Nicholas Walters and Felix Verdejo will share an HBO-televised card June 13 from The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the network announced Saturday.
Walters, who holds the WBA featherweight title, will take on Colombian puncher Miguel Marriaga. Verdejo, one of the most highly touted prospects in boxing, faces Ivan Najera in a lightweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds.
The pair of matchups amount to showcase bouts for Top Rank fighters.
Walters (25-0, 21 KOs) exploded on the scene in 2014. The 29-year-old Jamaican wowed fans against longtime contender Vic Darchinyan in a contender for knockout of the year. He followed up with a stoppage of former pound-for-pound regular Nonito Donaire in November, the biggest win of his career.
Marriaga (20-0, 18 KOs) was impressive in his U.S. debut last October, a TKO victory over Christopher Martin on ESPN 2. If "The Axe Man" gets past Marriaga, he could be headed to a unification in the fall with Vasyl Lomachenko.
"Headlining at Madison Square Garden is every fighter's dream but to do it on HBO is a tremendous honor," Walters said in a press statement Tuesday. "I have unfinished business with Miguel Marriaga. He kept me out of the 2008 Olympics when he beat me in the Americas Olympic Qualifier and I am ready to pay him back. I am going to chop him with the axe."
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Verdejo (17-0, 13 KOs) is being groomed as the heir apparent to Miguel Cotto, a Puerto Rican star who brings fans out in droves. Just 21 years old, he's cruised through modest opposition at 135 pounds, displaying a big punch and uncanny athleticism.
The fight falls on Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend, a spot usually reserved for Cotto (he fights on HBO the prior Saturday). Verdejo's foe, a fellow prospect in Najera (16-0, 8 KOs), says he plans to train in the high altitude of the mountains near Mexico City.
"Only a select few fighters are worthy of headlining at the 'Mecca Of Boxing' and Top Rank is proud to present two of them on June 13 ," said Todd duBoef, president of Top Rank.
"The mighty Nicholas Walters, who has yet to have a world title fight go to the scorecards, and Felix Verdejo, Puerto Rico's next big thing and the lineal successor in talent and popularity to his mentor Felix Trinidad, are the perfect boxing complement to Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend - a partnership we innovated in 2005 and have developed into a highly anticipated annual event."
HBO has shown highlights of Verdejo's fights in the past, but this is his first live fight on the network. If he looks the part again on June 13, we'll be seeing a lot more of him, especially in New York.